Ex-Fortune at Udinese in top form
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Maduka Okoye, who once played in the youth team of Fortuna Düsseldorf and whose career Transfermarkt has followed since his international debut for Nigeria in 2019, played perhaps the best season of his career at Udinese Calcio. The 26-year-old’s season started under the worst possible circumstances: with a six league game suspension by the Italian association. Okoye now explains in an interview with TM how he fought his way back into the Bianconeri goal, what role the former 1860 and FCK coach Kosta Runjaić played and how he thinks about his future.
“Starting the season two months late and being out for the first six games was special and difficult for me,” says Okoye. “I went through the preparation like a regular player and then the verdict came – that not only threw me out of rhythm in terms of sport, but also in my head. You ask yourself why and what you did and of course you also have fears.” It was a tough time, “during which I was supported really well by Udinese, friends and my family. Everyone was behind me and knew that I was someone who played the sport with passion, loved it and had nothing to do with such things.”
In March 2024, Okoye was shown a yellow card in the game against Lazio and there was a suspicious increase in betting on this event in Friuli. The keeper and three of his friends then found themselves in the crosshairs of the investigation. Okoye was acquitted of the initial accusation of sports fraud in July 2025 – otherwise a ban of up to four years would have been possible. The FIGC court acquitted him of all allegations and “excluded any involvement of the player in sporting offenses”. Nevertheless, Okoye was banned for two months for violating the general principle of fairness and had to watch the Coppa Italia seven times.
It wasn’t until mid-October, in the 1-1 draw against newly promoted Cremonese, that Okoye was allowed to take part again. Until then, he says, he had strong support “from the coaching team around Kosta Runjaić and also sports director Gökhan Inler, who gave me the time. That ultimately led to the great season finale – there was a lot of work involved. Not only on the pitch, but also off it. For that I am very grateful to the club, Kosta and my goalkeeper coaching team Alex Brunner, Kris Stergulc and Sergio Marcon. Also to Gökhan Inler, who worked with me a lot off the pitch I think you’ve seen the results of that in the last three or four months.”
Communication with Runjaić, who has been Udinese’s coach since 2024, was consistently good: “Everything was discussed openly. So for me personally, not that much has changed in that time. Of course, Răzvan Sava had his chance as a goalkeeper and did well. But, as I said, Udinese was completely behind me and relied on me again immediately after the suspension. I hope that I have repaid that with performance and am over it 10th place, which was our goal from the start, very happy.”
How Okoye learned to deal with setbacks
Ultimately, Udinese confidently held the class with 50 points. The fact that there could be a risk of relegation, as has often been the case in recent years, was never actually an issue. Okoye played a big part in this with ten clean sheets and only 32 goals conceded in 30 games. According to White West, it was his best season performance since his breakthrough with Sparta Rotterdam in the 2020/21 Eredivisie. Okoye’s market value rose over the season from 7.5 million to his personal high of currently 10 million euros.
Okoye once again lived up to his reputation as a fighter during this time. When asked whether the suspension phase was an example of the motto “one step back, two steps forward” in relation to his subsequent performances, he says: “Fighting has always been in me. Fought on the pitch and had to deal with setbacks in my youth, but also in life in general. I think the latter shaped me and helped me to deal with setbacks on the pitch too. Knowing that after dark days or hard times there will also be sunshine or good times.” He learned early on that this is how it is in life and was therefore able to transfer it to football. “Above all, my parents were always by my side. They had to go through a lot – he came to Europe on the container ship, she worked two jobs so that we had food on the table – and so at home it was always said that things always go forward and onwards. They are role models for me.”
This season, Udinese was particularly distinguished by the results against the top teams in the league: 3-0 at Milan, 1-0 against Roma, 1-0 against Napoli, 1-0 against Atalanta – there were some special evenings this season in which Okoye sometimes parried so-called unstoppable balls. Looking at the results, he couldn’t easily answer which game was the most special, he says with a smile: “But in the end I have to take the 3-0 in San Siro. On Saturday evening, 6 p.m. – that was unbelievable. Especially because I got something out of it… it was at the beginning of the second half, we were leading 2-0 and so I think it was decisive for the game. If Milan makes it 2-1 – on Transfermarkt the users have it Ball knowledge and know how things sometimes work in football – then it can be dangerous for us. A very special evening that I will certainly not forget for the rest of my life and which I will tell my son and the children in my family.
Udinese Calcio players celebrate a save by goalkeeper Maduka Okoye in the 3-0 win against AC Milan in San Siro
Contract until 2028: This is how Okoye thinks about his future
Okoye’s contract is valid until 2028 and strong performances and associated increases in market value usually attract interest. But he is “really very happy” at Udinese and really appreciates “the club, all the employees, the beautiful city that has become my second home, and the people. Also the peace and routine that I have found here. Of course, I still have goals in my career, but at the moment my head is completely at Udinese. I am enjoying it without thinking too much about the future. Things can happen quickly in football and when that happens, I know that the club is well positioned and I can give it a nice one “But until then I’m 100 percent a Udinese professional.”
In recent weeks, interested parties have contacted his consulting agency THE TEAM and listening to their plans is “part of the game” and at the same time a confirmation of the performance. According to Transfermarkt information, there is general interest from all top 4 leagues, including the Bundesliga, and top teams in the Turkish Süper Lig. “A good push for me as a person, knowing that you are in demand and on the list at one club or another. Ultimately, of course, I leave that to my advisors, where I am in excellent hands with Gabriele Giuffrida and Co. That’s their part and I have absolute trust in their work.”
Nigeria’s national goalkeeper Maduka Okoye saves against Poland’s star striker Robert Lewandowski in a friendly match
If things get serious again on the transfer market for Udinese and Okoye by the end of August, the club would probably already be prepared. In addition to the Romanian national player Sava (23) and veteran Daniele Padelli (40), U20 national goalkeeper Alessandro Nunziante (19) is also now available. The youngster, who came from Benevento in 2025 for a fee of 1.5 million euros, is “really a huge talent and it’s great fun to see in training what he can do at a young age. I’m sure that with his qualities he will have the opportunity to defend Udinese’s goal in the future. The club’s goalkeeper coaches have already brought out some great goalkeepers such as Alex Meret, Guglielmo Vicario and Samir Handanovič. You know, how you have to work with young keepers here. In the hands of the current team, Alessandro is in good hands and can be the future in goal here.
Okoye also has high praise for perhaps his most well-known teammate: Nicolò Zaniolo. The 26-year-old has found his top form in Udine after a few years of sporting decline and contributed five goals and six assists to 10th place. Udinese has therefore drawn on the €5 million purchase option agreed with Galatasaray.
Okoye cannot confirm that Zaniolo is a difficult character, as he has often been accused of: “Nicolò is a very important part of our team. His qualities were essential for the game that Kosta imagined. There are reasons why he was once considered THE huge talent in Italy. Not only because of his scorer, but also the way he secures balls, sets other players into action – simply crucial for us as a team. It may be that there is a conversation out there somewhere about the fact that he is not an easy character, but he left everything on the pitch for us and ensured a good atmosphere and motivation. We are grateful to him for that and are also very happy that he is staying here.
Okoye was successful not only in the club in 2025/26, but also in the national team again after a few difficult years. He was there between 2020 and 2022, but was subsequently left out for a long time. He was back in the starting eleven for three of six international matches in 2026: “I had a good run with the national team this year and, for me, a great finish with the games against Poland (2:2) and Portugal (1:2). Playing against players like Robert Lewandowski or Cristiano Ronaldo is something special.” He laughs and adds that after meeting the Portuguese superstar, his Instagram account almost hit the million mark.
Okoye continued: “Apart from the performance, which I am personally very satisfied with, the fun I have had on the pitch over the last few months is priceless. I am very grateful to national coach Éric Chelle for giving me these games and for his trust. We have many good goalkeepers who deserve it, but he gave me the chance to show myself. And I hope that I was able to repay that with performance. I hope that he and his coaching team can take this path with Nigeria “It’s a lot of fun to play under him.”
Interview and text by Marius Soyke